Subshrub

Lavandula stoechas

Linnaea borealis

A subshrub (Latin suffrutex) or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.

It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting only for a few years.

Small, low shrubs such as lavender, periwinkle, and thyme, and many members of the family Ericaceae, such as cranberries, are often classed as subshrubs.

Definition

A chamaephyte or dwarf-shrub is a plant that bears hibernating buds on persistent shoots near the ground – usually woody plants with perennating buds borne close to the ground, no more than 25 centimetres (9.8 in) above soil surface. One significance of the closeness to the ground is that the buds remain within the surface boundary layer and are thus somewhat protected from harsh winter winds.^[1]

Chamaephytes are especially important in stressful environments, for example in alpine, arctic or dry ecosystems, often grazed by herbivores, and on nutrient-poor soils or rock.

Examples

Prominent examples are many of the species of maquis and other submediterranean dry ecosystems (such as thyme, Thymus vulgaris, and rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis), the different heather species (e.g. Calluna vulgaris and Erica species), African wild olive (Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata) and edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum). The term chamaephyte is particularly used within the context of Raunkiær plant life-forms.

Chamaephytes also include cushion plants.^[2]

See also

• Raunkiær plant life-form

References

1. ^ Dennis M. Gorsuch; Steven F. Oberbauer; Jack B. Fisher; Dennis M. Gorsuch; Steven F. Oberbauer; Jack B. Fisher (2001), "Comparative Vessel Anatomy of Arctic Deciduous and Evergreen Dicots", American Journal of Botany 88 (9): 1643–1649, doi:10.2307/3558409, JSTOR 3558409, PMID 21669698, http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/88/9/1643 
2. ^ Molau, U.; Nordenhall, U.; Eriksen, B. (2005), "Onset of flowering and climate variability in an alpine landscape: a 10-year study from Swedish Lapland", American Journal of Botany 92 (3): 422–31, doi:10.3732/ajb.92.3.422, PMID 21652418, http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/92/3/422 

This botany article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Botany stubs Plant life-form Botanical nomenclature Plant morphology Plants Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат List of colonial heads of German Cameroon List of heads of government of British Cameroons Look at other dictionaries: subshrub — [sub′shrub΄] n. a partly shrubby plant that has woody stems growing new shoots annually at the tips …   English World dictionary subshrub — /ˈsʌbʃrʌb/ (say subshrub) noun a small bushy plant with woody lower stems; undershrub. {sub + shrub1} …   subshrub — noun Date: 1851 a perennial plant having woody stems except for the terminal part of the new growth which is killed back annually; also a low shrub …   New Collegiate Dictionary subshrub — subshrubby, adj. /sub shrub /, n. a plant consisting of a woody, perennial base with annual, herbaceous shoots. [1850 55; SUB + SHRUB] * * * …   Universalium subshrub — noun A low growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base. Syn: suffrutex …   Wiktionary subshrub — noun Botany a dwarf shrub, especially one that is woody only at the base …   English new terms dictionary subshrub — sub·shrub …   English syllables subshrub — sub•shrub [[t]ˈsʌbˌʃrʌb[/t]] n. bot a plant consisting of a woody, perennial base with annual, herbaceous shoots • Etymology: 1850–55 …   From formal English to slang subshrub — n. a low growing or small shrub …   Useful english dictionary matilija poppy — noun tall branching subshrub of California and Mexico often cultivated for its silvery blue foliage and large fragrant white flowers • Syn: ↑California tree poppy, ↑Romneya coulteri • Hypernyms: ↑subshrub, ↑suffrutex • Member Holonyms: ↑Romneya …   Useful english dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”